CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Forth of July is right around the corner, and that means fireworks.
However with this heat, can fireworks be a potential threat? That all depends on the moisture levels in the soil.
Nueces County Judge Connie Scott says a ban would be implemented if The Keetch Byram Drought Index or KDBI reaches a certain level.
The KDBI is a continuous reference scale for estimating the dryness of the soil and duff layers, and the scale goes from zero to 800.
Judge Scott says if the scale reaches 500, then a firework ban would be placed.
“If it goes over the 500 mark, then that is when we would implement one, but we can do those on a day-to-day basis, and at any point that we get that call we are monitoring it, we do realize it has been very hot it is very dry out there,” Scott said.
Micheal Clack, Fire Chief for Annaville Fire Department, says it’s important to be cautious if fireworks will be used.
“The key thing to remember is that if you are going to do any type of firework, whether they are ground fireworks or air fireworks," Clack said.
"You need to have some type of water buckets, water hose things that are portable that you can get out there and have your fire extinguishers outside with you,” Clack said.
Clack also says it's important to be aware of where you are lighting the fireworks.
“Grass will be easier to light, so we have to be prepared and ready and the other thing is depending on what type of roof material is on the house, the roofs of houses can catch pretty easily,” Clack said.
Judge Scott also says the ban would be considered an emergency item then it could be implemented immediately, taking into consideration the weather.
“But we haven’t reached that point yet, so we are not going to panic, and we can always wish for a little bit of rain and something to get us through,” Scott said.
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